Mandel debuts game show
Howie Mandel is once again making peoples’ dreams — or, possibly, nightmares — come true.
Luxury cars, exotic vacations, high-end bling, cold hard cash — the contestants of the latest Mandel-hosted game show Take it All can literally, well, take it all. That is, if they play the game right.
If they don’t, they might get a fist pump from Mandel — if they’re lucky.
NBC’s hour-long Take it All, running Monday through Friday before its final back-to-back episodes on Monday, Dec. 17, offers one contestant a prize worth thousands of dollars. When the next contestant comes along, they can either steal the first contestant’s prize, or take a chance on a mystery prize that may or may not be worth more.
When it comes down to the final two contestants, each will have to choose whether they want to keep their prizes, or take all of the prizes. If they both say “keep,” they keep. But if one chooses to “keep” and the other chooses to “take,” the greedier of the two will go home with the stash. And we bet you can guess what happens if both choose to “take it all.” Cue the sad exit music.
Since it merges the suspense of Deal or No Deal and the gluttony of, well, every other game show, Take it All is set to raise some high-stakes holiday season hype. But its most valuable player is Toronto-raised Mandel, whose ability to connect with players while tempting and taunting them will add to the amusement.
It’s also a good way for Mandel, 56, to stay in the game while he takes a break from his summer job as a judge on America’s Got Talent, and before his other life-altering show, Mobbed, returns for a few episodes in January (despite the fact that flash mobs are so two years ago). (NBC – 10 p.m.)
Michael Buble has just got to go Home for the Holidays — but not without Rod Stewart, Blake Shelton, Carly Rae Jepsen and Elmo, who will join the B.C. crooner on tracks like Jingle Bell Rock, Let it Snow and Winter Wonderland. (Citytv – 10 p.m., NBC – 11 p.m.)
It’s the moment hopeful fans of 2 Broke Girls have been waiting a season and a half for: The opening of the cupcake store. Will Caroline and Max’s crime scene-turned-bakery get off to a successful start — or will they be back into their itsy-bitsy diner uniforms? (CBS, Citytv – 10 p.m.)